Turner Classic Movies and Universal Studios Home Entertainment present Marlene Dietrich Directed by Josef von Sternberg Double Feature. Presented for the first time on video, these two films have been fully restored and re-mastered and confirm Dietrich’s iconic status as a glamorous and enigmatic movie siren while demonstrating von Sternberg’s reputation as a supreme stylist of mood, atmosphere and eroticism through his dazzling command of the medium.

DISHONORED (1931)Inspired by the exploits of the famous World War I spy Mata Hari, DISHONORED is a striking espionage thriller about a widow (Marlene Dietrich) who is forced to turn to prostitution to support herself. Recruited by the Austrian Secret Service as a spy, she becomes an expert in ferreting out secrets from the enemy but meets her match in the form of a Russian agent named Kranau (Victor McLaglen).

SHANGHAI EXPRESS (1932)Set against the backdrop of a Chinese civil war, SHANGHAI EXPRESS is an opulent romantic adventure that focuses on a diverse group of passengers traveling by express train from Peking to Shanghai. Among them is Captain Donald Harvey (Clive Brook), who finds himself reunited with his former lover, now an infamous adventuress who calls herself Shanghai Lily (Marlene Dietrich). Desire and deception follow, culminating in a tense hostage situation when their train is hijacked by a Chinese warlord.

Dishonored is an adaptation of the life of Mata Hari & is far more adaptation then it is about her life except in the grossest general way. They even get her agent designation wrong & apply the correct one to her lover. The reason to watch this is for Josef von Sternberg's directing & the main characters acting. Sternberg is a master of the B&W format as well as the film noir story. This should of had a bit more story depth for my taste but I rate it 7 out of 10 for the reasons mentioned.

The second title is Shanghai Express & is a true classic. Acting, writing, direction,B&W cinematography & costuming are wonderful. I wouldn't call it his masterpiece. That goes to The Blue Angel (9 out of 10). I rate Shanghai Express 8 out of 10 which is a bit below his Shanghai Gesture starring the truly lovely Gene Tierney because of Gesture's truly dark ending. I wouldn't argue with anyone that sees it the other way.

It is interesting to note that another great Director Ranier Werner Fassbinder considered von Sternberg to be his inspiration & Fassbinder directed what I consider to be the greatest film noir of all time, Berlin Alexanderplatz. One man's story spread over 15 hours of film & done as a TV series of 14 episodes. The first disc of the 10 disc set from Criterion is given over to nothing but character introduction. 10 out of 10 on Berlin: Alexanderplatz.

A tidbit about the storyline, a man gets out of prison just as the Naz!'s are beginning to rise in power (late 1920's) & struggles to remain free from trouble....as you might well expect. This period is portrayed very realistically without censor monitoring but does not exceed its subject matter.

Shanghai Express won an Oscar for Lee Garmes (Best Cinematography),see imdb.com for further info. It's an exotic film to be sure, like many of Dietrich's. Second film, Dishonored, is notable primarily for Dietrich's fine performance. I hope that someday we'll see a fictional film on Marlene that explores her extraordinarily fascinating life, beginning in the Germany of the 1920s.

In this collection of Dietrich's and von Sternberg's third and fourth films together, that is Dishonoured and Shanghai Express, it is easy to see how both earned, and deserved, their places in film history. With von Sternberg lighting Dietrich like the goddess she forever portrayed, both films are amazing to simply look at and watch. While Dishonoured has a dusty, dated quality stemming from the spoils of the overtly-complex espionage thrillers viewers are treated to today, it is still worth viewing; Shanghai Express is the main star of this package, it still remains outside of time in another world where Hollywood brilliance still lives with ease. If not for the entertainment, then these films are worth purchasing to discover what made Dietrich and von Sternberg the unstoppable screen couple that they were - and still are.

I'm new to this early work by Dietrich and Sternberg, but this two-film set confirmed my opinion of Dietrich as the single most fascinating female actor of the silver screen. There have been many other excellent actresses, but Dietrich is in a class by herself. I have to agree with all that TCM has stated in its description of the set. This is a wonderfully atmospheric pair of films, with great characterization and stories. But they are Dietrich vehicles, to be sure. She sparkles and dominates.

One has to wonder how Sternberg could lavish so much attention on Dietrich's performance and presentation to the camera in "Dishonored", and yet let go Victor McLaglen's wooden performance. With a lesser actress in the lead, McLaglen's silly posturing would have overshadowed the picture's merits. However, the picture is Dietrich's. You cannot take your eyes off her. McLaglen cannot spoil that.

Likewise for "Shanghai Express", Dietrich's character is magnetic; the picture is hers. Her character's stoic fatalism led me to expect a darker ending. It surprised me, but did not disappoint. The scenes of the train leaving the station presents a vivid picture of the crowded city, a crush of humanity in close confines. It contrasts starkly with the isolation experienced by the foreign travelers on the train to Shanghai. This picture is so atmospheric, it held my attention completely for an utterly enjoyable film experience.